TYRONE — The Clearfield Area High School baseball team suffered another stinging setback Saturday when undefeated Tyrone came from behind twice and then eked out a 3-2 win on Kevin Lehner’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning at the Harry K. Sickler Complex.
The Bison had plenty of chances to climb above .500 in the Mountain League makeup game but left 15 runners on base in falling to 2-3, those losses by a total of four runs.
Even more mind-boggling, 11 of those runners were stranded in scoring position.
Making it even more heart-breaking for the Bison, both of the Golden Eagle game-tying runs came with two outs.
Singles by Nate Barr and Eli Glass and a groundout by Harrison Peacock gave Hunter Dixon a 1-0 lead in the first inning that the sophomore left-hander protected all the way to the seventh frame.
He was one pitch away from a complete game victory in both the seventh and eighth innings.
Tyrone forced extras when Rodney Shultz, the No. 9 batter, clutched up with a single that plated Matt Savino, who was perched at second base via a hit and a steal.
Clearfield regained the lead, 2-1, in the top of the eighth on the third of a career-best four singles by Hayden Williams, his steal of second, a sacrifice bunt by Allan Myers and a single by Hunter Hipps.
The Bison missed an opportunity to break the game open when Karson Rumsky doubled and Caullin Reed walked to load the bases, but Golden Eagle reliever Aiden Coleman induced a pop-up and a flyout.
Then, the Golden Eagles took him off the hook with Savino’s double chasing Blaine Hoover home from first base after the pinch-hitter singled with two outs.
Dixon, who had effectively scattered most of Tyrone’s nine hits to that point, was relieved by Hipps.
The senior southpaw escaped further trouble via a flyout but couldn’t hold off the hosts in the ninth.
Bryce Hunter drew a walk, Shultz singled and, with one out, Coleman was walked intentionally to set up a possible forceout at the plate. However, Lehner foiled that strategy by lofting a fly ball just deep enough to left field to drive in Hunter.
Lehner, who started and worked five innings, and Coleman gave up six hits apiece, with Reed and Eli Glass posting two each to back Williams for the Bison.
Coleman, a freshman, got the win, with his four-inning stint.
Clearfield will be back on its home diamond Monday for a league game against Penns Valley.
Mountain League standings — Tyrone 4-0, Philipsburg-Osceola 3-0, Central 3-1, Bald Eagle Area 1-2, Clearfield 1-3, Bellefonte 1-3, Penns Valley 1-3, Huntingdon 1-3.
CLEARFIELD — 2
Caullin Reed ss 3020, Nate Barr 5110, Eli Glass 1b 4020, Harrison Peacock 3b 5001, Cade Walker lf 4010, Hayden Williams 2b 5140, Allan Myers c 4000, Hunter Dixon p 0000, Hunter Hipps dh-p 5011, Kyle Elensky pr 0000, Nick Domico rf 2000, Karson Rumsky rf 1010. TOTALS: 38 2 12 2.
TYRONE — 3
Andrew Pearson cf 4010, Colson Lewis lf 2000, Aiden Coleman p 1000, Kevin Lehner p-3b 4021, Cory Lehman c 4000, Brandon Lucas 3b 2010, Michael Stoner rf 1000, Blaine Hoover ph-rf 1110, Matt Savino ss 3121, Nic Light 1b 4010, Bryce Hunter rf-lf 2100, Rodney Shultz 2b 4021. TOTALS: 32 3 10 3.
Runs by Innings
Clearfield 100 000 010 – 2 12 3
Tyrone 000 000 111 – 3 10 2
E – Peacock, Williams, Rumsky; Lucas 2. DP – Clearfield 1 (Reed unassisted); Tyrone 1 (Savino, Shultz and Light). LOB – Clearfield 15; Tyrone 10. 2B – Rumsky; Lehner, Savino. Sac – Myers; Coleman, Savino. SF – Lehner. SB – Glass; Hoover, Savino, Hunter.
Pitching
Clearfield – Dixon 7-2/3 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K; Hipps 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K.
Tyrone – Lehner 5 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 R, 4 BB, 1 K; Coleman 4 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K.
HB – Dixon 1 (Pearson).
W – Coleman. L – Hipps (0-1).
Bison Scoreboard:
Date Opponent Score Record
3/25 @ Bald Eagle Area 10 – 1 1 – 0
3/28 @ Huntingdon 6 – 8 1 – 1
4/02 PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA 1 – 2 1 – 2
4/04 CURWENSVILLE 5 – 2 2 – 2
4/05 @ Tyrone ppd. 2 – 2
4/06 @ Tyrone 2 – 3, 9 inn. 2 – 3
4/08 PENNS VALLEY
4/09 BROOKVILLE
4/11 @ Central
4/16 BELLEFONTE
4/18 BALD EAGLE AREA
4/23 HUNTINGDON
4/25 @ Philipsburg-Osceola
4/29 PUNXSUTAWNEY
4/30 TYRONE
5/03 @ Penns Valley
5/06 CENTRAL
5/08 @ Bradford
5/09 @ Bellefonte
5/13 @ Curwensville
5/16 @ DuBois